


Words of Wisdom

by orphan_account



Series: Tumblr Requests 2017 [10]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen, Tumblr request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-02 21:17:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12734490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: In which Regis meets Noctis' new friend, and Prompto is unaware that he's speaking to the king.[Tumblr request - Prompto meets Regis]





	Words of Wisdom

**Author's Note:**

> For [luxclio](http://luxclio.tumblr.com/) on tumblr!

On the days where the pain in his leg was nothing more than a dull throb and he had a few moments of peace, Regis liked to stroll through the royal garden. It was the one place he could go without being presented with updates on the war, where he could take a few precious minutes to clear his head.

Typically, when he ventured through the garden, he was alone―the groundskeepers that tended to the garden typically did their work in the early hours, allowing them to spend most of the day keeping the outside of the citadel in pristine condition. Tonight, however, Regis had some company.

Across the garden, Regis could see a blond teenager walking about, his attention on the sylleblossoms at the center. He wasn’t much older than Noctis―judging from the uniform, he was likely one of his classmates. The boy had a little camera in his hands, one that had clearly seen a great deal of use.

For some reason or another, that detail seemed  _ familiar  _ to Regis, but he couldn’t quite place it. Didn’t Noctis mention a friend with a camera?

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Regis asked, getting the blond’s attention. He managed not to laugh when the boy nearly jumped out of his skin, instead choosing to give him an apologetic smile.

“Oh, uh, sorry! I thought I was the only one here.” The boy gave him a bright smile, but he didn’t bow or address him correctly. Regis found it quite  _ odd _ ―the only person who did  _ that  _ was in Liede.

After a moment, it occurred to Regis that it was quite possible that lad didn’t know who he was. He hadn’t made a public appearance in nearly ten years, given his declining health, and at the moment, he wasn’t dressed in his kingly raiment.

“I haven’t seen you around here before,” Regis said, deciding to play along. “Are you a new recruit for the Crownsguard?”

“Oh, no! I’m not even sixteen, yet… but maybe someday!” The boy lowered his camera, turning all his attention to Regis. “I’m actually here because Iggy offered to tutor me in cosmogony.”

_ Iggy?  _ **_Ignis?_ **

“Ah, you know Ignis?”

“Yeah! Noct introduced me!”

“Ah.” Regis felt something click. _This_ was the new friend Noctis told him about, though his name escaped him at the moment. “So you’re a friend of the prince?”

“Yeah!” He gave Regis a cheerful smile, holding out his hand. “Prompto Argentum.”

Regis took Prompto’s hand, giving it a firm shake. “Regis. Tell me, Prompto, how do you know the prince?”

“We go to the same school,” Prompto said. “We’ve been classmates since we were in grade school, but I was terrified to approach him back then.”

Regis raised an eyebrow. Noctis’ childhood had been rather lonely―knowing that there was a potential friend at school might’ve brought him out of his shell sooner. Prompto must’ve had his reasons, though.

“May I ask why?”

“Oh!” The grin on Prompto’s face disappeared. “I was, um… I was a bigger kid, y’know? Um. I actually… didn’t have any friends… before Noct.”

Though Prompto’s smile returned, Regis could see a sadness in his eye that was impossible to miss.

“On my way home to school one day,” Prompto continued after a moment of silence, “I ran into a puppy. She was injured, and I took her home with me to clean her up. I wanted to see if I could find her owners, but one night, she escaped. A few days later, I came home and found a letter from a girl named Lunafreya, who thanked me for helping her dog.”

_ Lunafreya.  _ The Oracle herself had reached out to Prompto. If he had her seal of approval, then Regis would certainly give him his. He listened as Prompto continued his story, telling him of his struggles to improve himself until he considered himself good enough to be friends with the Lucian prince.

“Sometimes, though… I still feel like I don’t deserve this,” Prompto said. “Like… I can’t be good for Noct’s image. I mean, what prince hangs out with a scrappy little pleb like me?”

Regis frowned. He  _ wanted  _ to tell him about how highly Noctis spoke of him, but he hadn’t informed him that he  _ was _ Noctis’ father. Informing him now might scare the poor boy, and he didn’t want to push one of Noctis’ few friends away.

After a moment, Regis spoke. “Prompto, do you know why the prince attends public school?”

Prompto shrugged. “I figured his dad made him so he could be in touch with his people.”

“Part of that is true, yes. He certainly wants to be in touch with his people, but he made the decision on his own. He wanted to be  _ normal _ , and I’m sure if he had the choice, he’d take being a commoner over being the prince any day.” He gave Prompto a reassuring smile. “You give him the opportunity to be normal, and I’m certain he values that about you.”

Prompto blinked a few times. Regis  _ thought  _ he could see tears forming, but before he could ask if the boy was okay, a cheery tone filled the air. Prompto pulled his cellphone out of his pocket, checking it quickly. “Oh, I need to go! I don’t want to keep Ignis waiting.” He turned to leave, giving Regis a bright grin. “It was nice meeting you, Regis!”

* * *

 

“Prompto, have you been crying?” Ignis asked, shortly after sitting down across from the blond.

“No! But, uh, I almost did?” Prompto let out a soft laugh of embarrassment. “The old man in the garden kinda gave me a lot to think about.”

“Old man in the―” Ignis’ eyes widened.

“What? Iggy,  _ please  _ don’t tell me I just spent the past fifteen minutes talking to a ghost.”

“Prompto,” Ignis said, “what was the old man’s name?”

“Regis? Why does it matter?”

Ignis gave Prompto a cryptic look before pointing to the portrait above the fireplace.  _ Huh,  _ it kinda looked like…

_ Oh. _

“Oh my god,” Prompto whispered, half-mortified. “I just had a heart-to-heart with the King of Lucis.”


End file.
